Method and apparatus for conditioning integuments



c. NESSLER 2,224,880

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING INTEGUMENTS Dec. 17,

Filed Jan. 16, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR CHARLES NESSLER BYW ATTOIiEY Dec. 17, 1940. Q NESSLER 2,224,880

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING INTEGUMENTS Filed Jan. 16, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CHARLES NESSLER ATTO EY C. NESSLER Dec. 17, 1940'.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING INTEGUMENTS Filed Jail. 16, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR CHARLES NESSLER BY ATTORW Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES I M rnon AND-APPARATUS FOR ooNnI- TIONING 1N T EGUMENTS .Charles Nessler, Palisades, N. Y. ApplicauonfJanuar s, 1937, Serial No. 120,860

11 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for the treatment of the hair and integuments of human beings and domestic ani: mals. It has particular reference to the general activation and cleaning of the human scalp in such a manner as to stimulate certain eliminating functions and to strengthen the underlying tissue and to open the outlets in the scalp for the purpose of accelerating eliminations and preventing scalp degeneration which results in loss of hair.

The invention also relates to a manner of treating the skin so as to alleviate, if 'not altogether overcome, varicose veins which may protrude due to insufficient skin tension to hold the protuberant blood vessels within the contours of the limbs, and to removing wrinkles and lines au e ysk de en r n onsl s s s The p nt m h d and a a s a s o aterial assistance in the treatment of congestion in the joints, and local inflammations caused by insect bites, etc. I

Heretofore physical treatments resorted to for conditioning the integument and relievingswellings and infiammations have beenbased upon the principle of massage. In the case of scalp treatments for the purpose of hair preservatiomin addition to massage, various mechanical devices have been employed. The object in all cases has been to attract 'blood to the area under tneatment. Such treatments not only produce a heated and sensitive condition in the integument, especially unsuitable in cases of swelling and inflammations, but are illogical for hair preservation.

I-Iair tenancy in any scalp depends not only upon the capacity of the scalp to carry hair, but also upon the maintenance of a normal supply of hair substance. It has now been. established that human hair continues to grow regardless of its length and in spite of shaving and cutting. Hence the provision .of a continuous supply of hair substance has assumed a new significance. A hair which fails to attract a steady supply of such substance, more or less, must ultimately degenerate, lose its anchorage and fall out. Massage of a failing scalp for a few minutesdaily cannot retain hair tenancy. Even if it attracts 50 a momentary flow of blood with accompanying hair substance the latter will not remain when the blood retreats afterthe completion of the treatment. Furthermore such massage does not take into account the fact that even if the scalp should benefit to a slight extent by an occasional blood congestion, a hair-losing scalp musthave its carrying tissue strengthened at the same time to afford the steadily growing hair sufficient anchorage to remain. The immediate effect of artificial bloodattraction is a swelling of the local '5 tissue which is ultimately followed by a softening, rather than a hardening, of the tissue.

The present method and apparatus are adapted to augment a most essential function of the integument, and especially the scalp, which is to 10 excrete internally useless matter. Such excretions contain hair substance and if forcibly removed stimulate the supply of hair substance and thus benefit the hair roots in proportion to the increase of hair substance supplied. Included in the various. substances appearing on the surfaces of the integument is a transient layer of cornif ed cells whose chemical consistency resembles that of hair and, which serves a protective purpose. These cells are short lived, being constantly re moved and renewed. It has been found that if their departure and renewal be hastened by appropriate means the integument is stimulated and that, atrophied and softened tissue disappears, leaving afirmer integument. The present 25 method and apparatus accomplish these results quickly and without attracting blood to the area under treatment. This is done by subjecting the integument to a succession of Scratchings and tappings applied so as to prevent the attraction of blood even if the treatment of a given area be unnecessarily prolonged, In fact the cooling ef-' fect produced by the present method and apparatus force the blood away from the area under treatment so that it is not rendered sensitive, The scratching and tapping elements remove the loose and semi-loose particles on the. surface, which have been discharged through the natural openings in the integument.

Aspecific object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the treatment of weakened hair-losing scalps, or to prevent that condition from arising. In such application of the invention a series of resilient bristles are caused to strike and scrape the scalp while moving at high speed in such a manner that the contact of the bristles with the scalp is limited. in order to reduce friction to a minimum. The bristles are preferably mounted on a rotating member upon'which there is also one or more pads of flexible material such as .cloth, paper, rubber, etc., which may extend a sufllcient distance out from the rotating member to strike the scalp under treatment and to produce a tapping effect thereon, and to restore the natural lustre of the hair.

In some cases it is preferable to make the pads somewhat shorter than the bristles, to prevent the hair from penetrating too deeply into the rotating brushes and causing undesirable resistance and pulling of the hair. Irrall cases the pads produce a fan effect, which actually results in a cooling sensation on the area of the scalp being treated and the driving of blood away from the area being treated. The removable scalp deposits are caught in a screen or plate, which meets the hygienic requirements and from which the accumulated waste matter may be removed for comparative measurements or other purposes.

An important object of the treatment is to create a metabolism which continues over a substantial period of time and which includes the removal and subsequent replacement of the cornified protective layers. It has been found that a treatment of only a few minutes will remove sufficient cornified matter to require a full day for replacement.

A further object of the invention is the treatment of weak skin containing wrinkles, lines, protruding veins, etc., inflammations and a general activating treatment for integuments. In principle the attainment of this object is identical with the treatment of the scalp, but more emphasis is laid on the tapping of the area under treatment, except in the case of infiammations and swellings, in which it is desirable to open the integumentary outlets. In the latter instances a combination of bristles and pads, suitably selected according to the sensitivity of the skin under treatment will be found particularly desirable.

In the treatment of congested joints it has been found desirable to remove one or more of the bristles or pads so as to leave an unbalanced arrangement thereof and thus produce a rapid vibratory effect on the area under treatment.

A further object is to provide a suitable apparatus for performing the above mentioned treatments in a simple and efiicient manner, capable of ready adjustment to vary the force exerted upon the integument, and which requires no special sklllto use and in which the likelihood of injury is reduced to a minimum.

Further objects will be apparent from the accompanying description and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of apparatus showing various types of integumentary contacting elements mounted upon a rotatable drum.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1, partially in section to show the internal construction and omitting some of the contacting elements for convenience.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of another form of apparatus illustrating how two, or more, arrangements of rotatable drums, such as shown in Fig. 1, may be associated and driven by a common shaft.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modified form of apparatus in which the contact elements are carried by a belt traveling around two spaced drums.

Fig. 5 illustrates a bristle element, and

Figs. 6-8 illustrate various types of pad elements. 1

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the preferred form of apparatus comprises a substantially U-shaped frame consisting of two spaced uprights, or arms, I connected at their lower extermities by the integral cross bar 2. A handle 3 may be suitably fastened to this cross bar. A rotatable drum 4 is supported within this frame at the upper end thereof and upon it the integumentary contact members, either of bristle or pad form, as hereinafter described, may be mounted. The drum 4 is secured to the annular members 5 fastened to a drive shaft 6 by suitable means. This shaft is rotatable within the bearings 1 in the side frame members I which are closer together in their upper portions as illustrated. In treating scalps this arrangement prevents the hair from becoming entangled about the drive shaft. The shaft 6 may be driven at relatively high speed, for example, 2000 R. P. M. by means of the flexible cable 3 coupled to a source of power and connected to the end of shaft 6 which may be slotted as illustrated to accommodate a complementary end on the flexible cable. Washers 9 are preferably interposed around the shaft 6, between the annular members 5 and the side frame members I, to prevent weaving of the drum during rotation. Protective collars H] are inserted over" the ends of the drive shaft 6 and extend into the annular members 5 so as to prevent material dislodged by the contact members from clogging the apparatus. Diametrically opposed slots accommodating the frame members I allow these collars so to project and the collars may be bolted to the members I, as illustrated. The collar [0 on one side of the apparatus may be provided with a threaded hub I l in which the flexible drive shaft 8 may be coupled as illustrated. The flexible shaft '8 passes through another handle I3. Should it be desired to increase the vibratory effect of the apparatus the drum 4 may be unbalanced slightly in a well known manner, such as, for example, mounting it slightly eccentrically upon the drive shaft 6.

The various integumentary contact elements are mounted upon the drum 4 in clips M which may be clamped over the periphery of the drum as shown in the drawings. Two general types of elements are illustrated in Figs. 5-8, inclusive. The bristle type of Fig. 5 comprises a backing l5 of rubber or other suitable material in which the wire bristles l6 are set individually as shown, or in the usual tufted arrangement of brush construction. The former is preferable for the treatment of scalps and facilitates the easy passage of the bristles through the hair. The length, spacing and resiliency of the bristles are governed by the use to which the apparatus is to be putwhether for the treatment of long or short hair, or if on a part of integument other than the scalp, the tenderness of such part, and other factors.

The pad type of contact element may be made in various forms. A preferred arrangement is shown in Fig. 8 in which the pad I! consists of a number of sheets of paper, cloth and other similar sheet material arranged in the form of a book having serrated edges l8 and being stitched or otherwise secured together at the folds. This arrangement is particularly desir able from a sanitary point of view because whenever the outside sheets have been soiled from use they may be readily removed. In another type of pad [9 illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 sheet material is folded over as shown and provided with the beads 20 adapted to hold the clips I4 on the r0- tatable drum 4. The type of pad may also be constructed of sheets of paper or similar mateinserted in the pad as shown in Fig. 7. When it is desired to polish the hair under treatment one or more of the pads may be impregnated with a polishing substance, such as a mixture of beeswax and petroleum jelly, .or the bristles and pads may be made to strike against a stationary pad mounted upon the frame of the apparatus in the path of the bristles and similarly impregnated. 'In the treatment of skin it may be desired to apply powder or lotion thereto and accordingly the rotating elements maybe caused to strike a pad impregnated with such substances. Each type of contact element shown may be readily inserted or withdrawn from the clips M by a sliding movement parallel with the axis of the drum.

Two spaced resilient members,or guards, 22 are employed to regulate the extent to which the bristles, or pads, may come into contact with the integument being treated and to prevent it from being injured by the rotating parts. Each of these guards may be, and preferably is, in the form of a narrow strip whose ends are held in slots 23 in the lower portions of the side frame members I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These strips are clamped together in adjustable relation by means of the screws 24 so that their circumferential lengths and shapes may be varied as desired by the operator. As shown in Fig. 1 the guards have an upper, substantially circular form and a lower, more or less elliptical form. Such an arrangement has been found to be satisfactory in actual practice but the contour of each guard may be altered by the operator. The upper portions of the guards are supported by members 25 fastened to the guards and adjustably held in slots in the upper ends of the side frame members.

A removable sheet 26 is slidably mounted in a clip 21 upon the guards 22. By coating this sheet with suitable tacky substance, the refuse material scraped or brushed ofl the integument maybe collected for comparative and hygienic reasons.

In the application of the present method and apparatus to the treatment of human scalps it will be found to be more advantageous to use a combination of bristle and pad elements. The number of each type of element to be used depends upon the length and thickness of the hair, the sensitiveness of the scalp and upon other conditions. By way of example one bristle and two pads, equally spaced around the drum, may be employed with complete success in some instances. In others, it may be desirable to place a pad immediately behind each bristle element to prevent the hair from penetrating too deeply into the bristles and pulling the hair too hard. The apparatus is forced against the head being treated so that the rapidly rotating bristles and pads project beyond the resilient guards 22 so as to scrape and brush the scalp, removing superfluous matter such as cornified cells. The forcible removal of such matter accentuates the recurrent supply of hair substances as previously explained. In such treatment the friction is reduced to a minimum and the pads produce a very decided cooling effect upon the area being treated, serving to drive the blood away instead of attracting it as is the present practice in treating the scalp and other parts of the integument.

Also, the pads assist in restoring the natural lustre of the hair.

'In the treatment of the integument other than the scalp it may be necessary to use the pads alone until the integument has been sufficiently toughened so that a'combination of bristles and pads may be used. It will of course be understood that the bristles'are more efiective than the pads in removing Waste material and exercising the integument.

In some instances it may be desirable to treat a wider area than is possible with the apparatus previously described. In such cases the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 comprising two rotatable drums 4 side by side and driven by a single flexible shaft may be used. The construction of each unit is substantially the same as that previously described.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the contact elements, either of the bristle type shown, or the pad type, are held in clips M which are secured to a traveling belt 28 passing over a driving drum 29 and a driven drum 3!). In this arrangement the spring guards 22 are of substantially elliptical form and the bristles or pads are in contact with the integument over a short distance depending upon the separation between the drums.

I claim:

1. Inapparatus for treating integuments, a rotatable member, groups of bristles carried by said member and adapted to scrape the integument, flexible sheet materials carried by said member 30 between successive groups of said bristles and arranged to produce a cooling effect on the area under treatment, and means for rotatingsaid member at such a rate as to produce said cooling effect. i

-2. In apparatus for treating integuments, a rotatable member, a scraping element and a, pad

each mounted on said member, said pad being mounted on saidmember in such a manner that rapid rotation of said pad and member produces a cooling effect upon the integument, and resilient guards adapted to be distorted so as to permit said element and pad to project therebeyond. for contact with the integument.

3. -In apparatus for treating integuments, a rotatable member, a scraping element removably mounted on said member, resilient guards adapted to be distorted so as to permit said element to project therebeyond for contact with the integument and a member surrounding a portion of said rotatable member and constructed and arranged to collect waste material loosened by said element.

4. In apparatus for treating integuments, a rotatable member'driven by a shaft supported in a frame provided with arms on opposite sides of said member, a plurality of gripping means on the periphery of said member, contact elements slidably held in said means and resilient guards supported by said arms and adapted to be distorted so asto permit said elements to project therebeyond for contact with the integument.

5. In apparatus for treating integuments, a rotatable member driven by a shaft supported in a frame provided with arms on opposite sides of said member, a plurality of gripping means on the periphery of said member, a scraping element and a pad each slidably held in said means, resilient guards supported by said arms and adapted to be distorted so as to permit said elements and pad to project therebeyond for contact with the integument, adjustable means for varying the shapes of said guards and collecting means for the waste material loosened by said element.

6. In apparatus for treating integuments, a rotatable member, a driving shaft for said member, a plurality of clips carried thereon, contact elements adapted to be removably held in said clips, a substantially U-shaped frame for supporting said shaft on opposite sides of said member, means for coupling a flexible shaft to said driving shaft, guards on opposite sides of said member for regulating the application of said elements to the integument, said guards being adjustably connected to said frame whereby the shapes of said guards may be varied.

7. In apparatus for treating integuments, a movable member having mounted thereon a. pad of flexible sheets, the successive outer sheets of which may be detached when soiled, a member inside said pad for increasing its stiffness, said pad being adapted to brush the integument, to exercise it, and to remove waste material therefrom, the movement of said pads producing a cooling eifect on the area treated.

8. In apparatus for treating integuments, a driving member, a driven member, a substantially continuous belt traveling over said members and carrying a plurality of gripping means, contact elements removably held in said means and resilient guards adapted to be distorted so as to permit said elements to project therebeyond for contact with the integument while the contact elements travel from one member to the other.

9. In apparatus for treating integuments, a driving drum, a driven drum, a substantially continuous member traveling over said drums and carrying a plurality of clips, contact elements removably held in said clips, resilient guards adapted to be distorted so as to permit said elements to project therebeyond for contact with the integument and adjustable means for changing the shapes of said guards.

10. In apparatus for treating integuments, a rotatable member supported in a frame provided with radial extensions on opposite sides of said member, a shaft for driving said member, a plurality of gripping means disposed about the periphery of and carried by said member, and friction elements including means for creating a cooling current of air removably held by said gripping means between said extensions, said friction elements and creating means being arranged to brush the integument and remove waste material therefrom upon rotation of said member and simultaneously to direct a cooling current of air over the portion of the integument being brushed.

11. Apparatus for removing surface waste material from the skin comprising a, rotatable member having friction elements comprising flexible sheet material mounted thereon and extending outwardly therefrom for movement in a direction substantially normal to its plane, means for rotating said member and elements sufficiently rapidly to create a cooling current of air on the surface of skin contacted by said friction elements, and non-rotatable guard means positioned beside the path of travel of said elements and disposed a suflicient distance radially from the axis of rotation of said member to limit the degree of contact of said friction elements on the skin, the cooperation between said guard means and friction elements being such that said friction elements contact the skin only with a brushing and tapping action and create a cooling current of air over the skin surface contacted by the elements.

CHARLES NESSLER. 

